Pick Me Up, Dust Me Off

[helpdesk_hero]

Life hadn't gotten easier after Utopia. Not by a long shot. Where, after that, does a human being go? Sure, one of the greatest geniuses in the world, but that doesn't mean he has a place in it. Instead he'd gotten to shore, dressed up in casual clothes, and mostly hitchhiked across the country. All the way from San Francisco to here. Chicago. Home.

It's taken two months to get this far, and he's in no great shape. There's a bit of a beard on his cheeks, his clothes are torn up, and he feels like shit. Do you... how do you get comfortable enough to go home in this sort of state? How does he go back and hope they accept him? He feels... miserable. David sighs and sips lightly at the cup of coffee in his hands, keeping them warm. Some person bought it for him, and he's still got to figure out how to get over to Hyde Park and his family's house. To figure out a story.

Two nights he's been in Chicago and he doesn't know what to do. He feels so weak. So useless. Such a broken man after the fall of mutantkind, yet again.

Comments

[zoomandboom]

Tommy waved a dismissive hand. "Notlikeaton. But if you need a couple that aren't in there, then I can pick 'em up. But yeah, just look through. I've got no clue. The only thing I make is eggs or grilled cheese. Mostly I just buy crap."

[helpdesk_hero]

“Grilled cheese is an art to not burn. Don’t sell yourself short.”

[zoomandboom]

"I'm shit at cooking most things," Tommy said. "It always feels like it takes forever, to me." He'd get restless and bored and then not cook it long enough, most of the time. So burning wasn't really the problem, mostly. Unless he wandered around.

[helpdesk_hero]

"Maybe set timers?"

Because he definitely thinks that might solve it. Maybe. Depends on if Tommy was paying attention.

[zoomandboom]

"Yeah, I do," Tommy said, shrugging. "It just ... feels like too long. SoIgetitchy. I can wait for stuff when it's for something. But when it's just food for me ... it just feels like freakin' forever. So I just make stuff you don't have to cook - sandwiches or something. Or I get it somewhere."

[helpdesk_hero]

"Interesting. You deserve better food than that," David answers with a small frown.

[zoomandboom]

Tommy laughed. "I go for quantity over quality most of the time, I guess. Ineedalot of calories sometimes. But like I said, if you want to feed me while you're around, I'm good with it. I'll even clean up." Not like it took him long.

[helpdesk_hero]

Well, how can he argue against that?

"Then I'll cook. Something good and tasty just for you."

[zoomandboom]

Tommy paused, since "good and tasty" was kinda perfectly wholesome sounding. Which made it not be, and he wanted to use it to flirt, but he was still not sure he should, really. So he just kind of did. "I'll eat anything you put in front of me." Not limited to food, but he didn't say that, just smiled again and shrugged. "Thanks."

[helpdesk_hero]

Oh come on, there is nothing unwholesome about food!

"That doesn't mean you shouldn't have something good.

[zoomandboom]

Ugh. Now he was just asking for it and Tommy definitely didn't have that much restraint. He gave David lifted eyebrows. "Well ... I got you here, so. That counts even without the food, I'm thinking."

[helpdesk_hero]

Oh god. David's flushed again and rising from the couch quickly, because this was a bit of something wasn't it? David starts to pace.

"I'm not used to guys like you hitting on me."

[zoomandboom]

Fuck. Tommy sat up, putting his feet on the floor and lifting his hands in a "hands off" sort of gesture. "Heynosorry. You didn't seem to mind, and you're cute as fuck so I just ..." had taken advantage of feeling like flirting for once to actually kind of do it.

But it was still shitty for a guy who had no options.

"Sorry," Tommy repeated. "I'm not gonna do anything that makes you uncomfortableorlike, expect anything or be a shit about it. Promise. If you feel weird though, you can take the bedroom. Door locks from the inside and I can crash out here."

[helpdesk_hero]

"I'm not worried you're going to violate me," David sighs, rubbing at his forehead. "I just... don't know how to handle you. You're... intense and amazing."

And it's overwheming.

[zoomandboom]

"Maybe not, but it's still kind of shitty to do to a guy I don't know, who told me he doesn't have anywhere to go," Tommy admitted. "I ... look. You don't have to handle me. You can do your thing and ignore me if you want. I'll back off and we can just be roommates for a while, or friends. Okay?"

[helpdesk_hero]

David, up on the memes, almost snorts in amusement. And they were roommates.

"I'll make breakfast in the morning. I can crash on the floor."

[zoomandboom]

Tommy rolled his eyes. "Yeah, no. There's a couch right there. You were just sitting on it. So there, or if you want a lock, then there's a bed. You don't need to sleep on the floor, man."

[helpdesk_hero]

"I'm not stealing your bed and clearly you're not tired enough to sleep."

Tommy hasn't been scratching rest out on the streets after all.

[zoomandboom]

"Not stealing when I offer," Tommy pointed out. "But fine, couch. I'll take the laptop in the bedroom, so I don't have to go to sleep if I don't want to. I might go back out later anyway, so just crash, okay? Don't worry about it." Sleep on the FLOOR. Like Tommy was that big a dick. He rolled his eyes and got up, vanishing into the bedroom and then emerging again with the extra pillow from his bed, and the bedspread. He dumped them onto the sofa. "Here."

[helpdesk_hero]

"Don't you need the bed spread?"

It's definitely interesting, though. How good Tommy does. How good he is.

[zoomandboom]

Tommy shook his head. "Nah, I've got one of those thin blankets and a sheet, so I'm cool. I'll get more blankets tomorrow and pillows and stuff."

He gave David a slightly sheepish smile, kind of embarrassed for having flirted now, even if he'd meant it. "Night, David. Sleep as much as you want, all right?"

[helpdesk_hero]

"I can take the thin blankets. I'm from here. I'm used to the cold," David counters. "And I was sleeping on the street."

And he's used to sleeping on all of his clothes now.

Still, he bites his lip.

"Would leave me paper and a pen to give you a shopping list for the morning."

[zoomandboom]

"Might not even be sleeping yet, remember?" Tommy said. "And yeah, you were. So now you get a blanket. Deal with it." He wrinkled his nose at David and then grinned, shrugging. "'sfine. Heat's on anyway."

His face scrunched a little. "Uhh ... if I have one." He tried to think if he did, and then went over to the little drawer in the kitchen he'd been shoving stuff he picked up. He made a triumphant sound and came back with a pen and then handed David the receipt from the drug store. "Good enough?" he asked.

[helpdesk_hero]

Well, no. The way the paper was treated meant pens weren't great on it, but he'd make do. ANd he didn't want to make things complicated.

"Yes, thank you. I'll come up with something nice but simple."

[zoomandboom]

It was kind of all Tommy had. He kept most notes on his phone if he had to take them, and didn't really take a lot. He had a pretty good memory. He didn't make a lot of lists and he didn't write stuff down, so that was as good as he had, except maybe a paper towel or napkin or something.

"Don't go to too much trouble. But great." Tommy smiled at him. "Night, David."